Thursday, May 14, 2015

Montecatini Alto! Mangia!

How do you celebrate a special birthday in Italy?

You take a “Funicolare” ((Rhymes with VOLARE, like the song!)) to the top of the mountain ---spend time drinking in the magnificent view, hike further up into town – and spend the best night ever with 40+ of your new best friends who have come along with you to celebrate!

Our friend Karen spent her 76th birthday with us on this trip -- -the trip was a gift to herself, and boy did she make the best of it!

We are all to happy to join in on the celebration and make sure she had a birthday week to remember – Italian style!

What is a Funicolare, you ask?

A funicolare, the Italian word – FUNICULAR in English is also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway. It is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves the cars up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other. A feat of wonder and amazement, and tons of fun!

Especially if you stand outside on the back end, with everyone singing songs as we go up and down.

At the station – ready to board and go up up up!

Our fearless leader, Jim West! All Aboard!

Don’t miss the last tram down!

((Notice the mid afternoon siesta!))

We've left the station!

As we go up, this one goes down!

And oh, the view from the top!

I’ve uploaded a slide show of our evening! The doggie is Gustavo, and he belongs to the restaurant we ate at. Such a character!

There are also photos of a little chapel shrine, in honor of those who lost their lives during WWII in this town. Enlisted men. And some children. God bless them, every one.

What you won’t see ((Some things should remain unseen but are forever locked in my memory!)) was the DJ at the restaurant…playing songs we all knew and loved so well –and well, wine was flowing and….let’s just say that “Bye Bye Miss American Pie” has never been preformed as well as we performed it as a group that night, singing where we ate al fresco –at the top of our voices to the entirety of Montecatini Alto!

If I could guess – I would say they could hear us all the way down the mountain in Montecatini Terme as well!! Good times will long be remembered!

Click the image below if you are unable to view the slide show on your mobile device. You’ll be taken to the photo album for viewing.